Canon 7D Mk II is announced and available for pre-order (1 Viewer)

[KyleM]

Yeah Roy my copy is gathering dust in the cupboard and I am making do with the 70d for now,getting nice results with 70d but it's well slow compared to AF and FPS of 7d2 and just about everything else for that matter.
Been let down to many times now with my 7d2 and I just can't trust it to come up with the AF when needed.
Well Jel of all you with gooduns as its a great camera to use and the ten frames a second sounds so sweet when shooting plus it balances much nicer with my lenses than my old 7d used to and also now my 70d.Think I will just bide my time and maybe pick up a good used one in the near future,can't really sell mine on as I would hate to land someone else with the same problem.
It maybe worth money in years to come if Canon open up a monster museum.
Cheers lads and keep posting the shots on this thread.
Bob

I missed a bunch of this thread, but have you had them check it out ?

I saw a lot of mirror box/AF replacements elsewhere.




A few quick off the cam downsized rips from yesterday. Killed these down to 1200 pix but the least sandpipers is the full frame, the dowitcher cropped slightly on the edges as I was tossing it up on the ID. Light was not great, 1/1000 on sands 1/1600 dowitcher, tripod in use. 1/1600 is not enough for dowitchers feeding really (neither is 1/2000). I would have preferred faster on the sands also. But the sky was angry at the time.

 

[Colin]

As I have mentioned in an earlier post, I have never owned a DSLR and was unsure what IQ to expect and thus not know if I have got a dud. Although the attached pics are not of the ornithological kind, they are of a metal 'bird'. This picture was taken 2 days ago at Symonds Yat Rock in Gloucestershire. Although I had set the camera up for flyby Peregrines and other raptors, none were playing that day but this helicopter came over and descended below the viewpoint and I simply picked up the camera and took the shot. I have fiddled a little in post processing but wondered if the IQ is OK. The second pic is a crop of the first and I think the nuts and bolts around the rotor head appear pretty well unless others think differently.

Colin

 

[Farnboro John]

Hurrah, its arrived. So its chucking it down and there's no light outside - looking back at this thread this seems to be a chronic problem with the 7D2, does Canon have a fix for it?

John

 

[dabut101]

Hurrah, its arrived. So its chucking it down and there's no light outside - looking back at this thread this seems to be a chronic problem with the 7D2, does Canon have a fix for it?

John

indeed they do john its called staying in and read the manual lol

 

[redeyedvideo]

indeed they do john its called staying in and getting the wife to read the manual lol

There you go.

 

[Roy C]

Hurrah, its arrived. So its chucking it down and there's no light outside - looking back at this thread this seems to be a chronic problem with the 7D2, does Canon have a fix for it?

John

Ah, it was you who put the mockers on the weather today then John was it :-O

 

[Colin]

Wot? A manual - is there one? (Ok, don't post and say that it shows!! )

I found a button on the top right that makes the camera click but all the other buttons don't do that and I have not used them!

 

[KyleM]

As I have mentioned in an earlier post, I have never owned a DSLR and was unsure what IQ to expect and thus not know if I have got a dud. Although the attached pics are not of the ornithological kind, they are of a metal 'bird'. This picture was taken 2 days ago at Symonds Yat Rock in Gloucestershire. Although I had set the camera up for flyby Peregrines and other raptors, none were playing that day but this helicopter came over and descended below the viewpoint and I simply picked up the camera and took the shot. I have fiddled a little in post processing but wondered if the IQ is OK. The second pic is a crop of the first and I think the nuts and bolts around the rotor head appear pretty well unless others think differently.

Colin

Looks fine to me, Your shutter looks to have been a touch slow to freeze motion so rotor bolts will be tricky to use as a reference.

 

[Colin]

Looks fine to me, Your shutter looks to have been a touch slow to freeze motion so rotor bolts will be tricky to use as a reference.

Thanks KyleM for the comment. The shutter was at 1/1600 which I had set up for flying raptors, particularly Peregrines which nest nearby and Buzzards which can be seen soaring below the viewpoint. No birds came close on this afternoon. The lens was the 100-400 mk2 set at focal length at 400mm and the ISO was 1000 and at f/7.1.

 

[KyleM]

Thanks KyleM for the comment. The shutter was at 1/1600 which I had set up for flying raptors, particularly Peregrines which nest nearby and Buzzards which can be seen soaring below the viewpoint. No birds came close on this afternoon. The lens was the 100-400 mk2 set at focal length at 400mm and the ISO was 1000 and at f/7.1.

1/1600 is good for big birds, small birds I'd suggest faster, swallows I find 1/3200 is pretty solid (swallow are a special kind of fun when you land a shot).
I don't know the rotor speed of the helicopter so cannot comment as to whether that is appropriate or not.

F.7.1 at 400mm still don't give you a huge depth of field unless the subject is quite far. I think it is something like 2" at 4m wide open (to mix money and use nice whole numbers). I can't see a subject like that, from that angle, fitting within the depth of field but that is also ok, as in that case you can select DoF for emphasis. The relatively smooth surface lends itself better to OOF than say feathers anyway, which have 'hairs' so to speak.

If you are shooting at higher ISO, it is always good to expose to the right (as in +1 / +2 , etc, you will get a feel for it by experience, most birds handle +2/3 well) as far as possible without blowing highlights on the subject (in the case of birds) or picture (in many other cases). That will allow you to get a lot more detail, and more importantly, minimize noise. This is a lot of trial and error and some birds are naturally headaches, dark birds, or worse black birds with light or white patches will become the bane of your existence as some level of compromise is required. Slightly overcast days that soften the light tend to do wonders for those ones.

The 7d2 is great when it comes to ETTR (exposure to the right) as a feature of the 1DX found its way onto that camera, exposure compensation (EC) in manual mode. I have this set to the 'set' button, I hold it and roll the main wheel to adjust. A new (to this line) way to control your ISO which I find incredible. You still need to watch your ISO to make sure you aren't bottomed out (at 100) as that could mean you can get away with stopping down the aperture (increasing depth of field) or increasing your shutter speed. To check this, you need to ensure that your exposure meter (right side of viewfinder, not my favourite part), is not greater than your set exposure. The opposite is true for higher ISOs, I try to keep it under 1600. with this one.

I apologize if anything here is redundant for you, as I am not sure of your background this being your first DSLR

 

[senatore]

Just downloaded the firmware but I see I've gone from version 1.0.2 to 1.0.4.

What happened to 1.0.3 ? Will that be automatically included when I've put 1.0.4 into the camera ?

Max

 

[Farnboro John]

Two from my first outing with the 7d2, Sanderling and Black-throated Diver at Farmoor Reservoir. Camera handles nicely and holds onto BIF like nothing I've ever seen, above and below the horizon. Happy bunny!

John

 

[Colin]

1/1600 is good for big birds, small birds I'd suggest faster, swallows I find 1/3200 is pretty solid (swallow are a special kind of fun when you land a shot).
I don't know the rotor speed of the helicopter so cannot comment as to whether that is appropriate or not.

F.7.1 at 400mm still don't give you a huge depth of field unless the subject is quite far. I think it is something like 2" at 4m wide open (to mix money and use nice whole numbers). I can't see a subject like that, from that angle, fitting within the depth of field but that is also ok, as in that case you can select DoF for emphasis. The relatively smooth surface lends itself better to OOF than say feathers anyway, which have 'hairs' so to speak.

If you are shooting at higher ISO, it is always good to expose to the right (as in +1 / +2 , etc, you will get a feel for it by experience, most birds handle +2/3 well) as far as possible without blowing highlights on the subject (in the case of birds) or picture (in many other cases). That will allow you to get a lot more detail, and more importantly, minimize noise. This is a lot of trial and error and some birds are naturally headaches, dark birds, or worse black birds with light or white patches will become the bane of your existence as some level of compromise is required. Slightly overcast days that soften the light tend to do wonders for those ones.

The 7d2 is great when it comes to ETTR (exposure to the right) as a feature of the 1DX found its way onto that camera, exposure compensation (EC) in manual mode. I have this set to the 'set' button, I hold it and roll the main wheel to adjust. A new (to this line) way to control your ISO which I find incredible. You still need to watch your ISO to make sure you aren't bottomed out (at 100) as that could mean you can get away with stopping down the aperture (increasing depth of field) or increasing your shutter speed. To check this, you need to ensure that your exposure meter (right side of viewfinder, not my favourite part), is not greater than your set exposure. The opposite is true for higher ISOs, I try to keep it under 1600. with this one.

I apologize if anything here is redundant for you, as I am not sure of your background this being your first DSLR

Thanks for that really useful information. I have been using a shutter speed of 1/2000 for Sand Martins but I don't think that is quite enough. I am going to try again having failed first time. There is a breeding colony under a bridge at Ross-on-Wye, not far from where I live and I have a choice of standing on a public footpath on the river bank and looking up at them flying or standing on the bridge and looking down on them. I think both will work if I get the settings right.

I have not tried ETTR yet but intend to. I have programmed a couple of buttons and have just about got used to that. Back button focussing seems good to me and I have adjusted to using finger and thumb.

I find the exposure meter to be awkward to see. Sometimes I have to adjust my eye position at the viewfinder to see it clearly. I can see it all of the time but sometimes it is just not clear.

Thank you again for all of the information. I appreciate it. I have a lot to learn but am confident that I will get some reasonable pictures with this camera.

 

[dabut101]

Downloaded and installed the firmware update but whether its coincidence i dont know but it now does not show both batteries for the grip

 

[redeyedvideo]

Two from my first outing with the 7d2, Sanderling and Black-throated Diver at Farmoor Reservoir. Camera handles nicely and holds onto BIF like nothing I've ever seen, above and below the horizon. Happy bunny!

John

First day out with your new camera and you get a Black-throated Diver in flight? That's one lucky charm you've bought yourself there John!

 

[Roy C]

Just downloaded the firmware but I see I've gone from version 1.0.2 to 1.0.4.

What happened to 1.0.3 ? Will that be automatically included when I've put 1.0.4 into the camera ?

Max

Yep that is no problem Max, I went from 1.0.2 to 1.0.4 as well. These things are normally cumulative.

 

[Barred Wobbler]

Strange Hiccup

I have my 7DII set to record in RAW + Large jpg in normal use, but for historic reasons when I set up my C1 custom mode it records RAW + Small jpg. I normally shoot in manual, but if the light suddenly changes or if the subject starts moving in and out of shade I click to C1, which I have set for Tv plus Auto ISO. I use the jpgs when I'm viewing in photo viewer for selection, deleting and editing purposes.

C1 custom mode in handy last week when I was sitting high in the Pyrenees and a lifer, a snow finch that I had been searching up hill and down dale for for over 4 hours popped up on the edge of a snow patch only a few yards in front of me on the edge of the car park, just as I'd decided to give up and drive off. As you would expect, the sun chose that moment to play silly buggers and went behind a cloud, only to come and go over the next few minutes while the bird and its companion hopped about at close range.

Rather than mess about changing my manual settings and risk losing the bird I switched to C1 and took a chance on the exposure that would have been all over the place, given the white snow and the contrasting bare ground that the birds insisted on remaining on the edge of.

The exposures weren't ideal, slightly under, but usable.

Today I'm going through my trip shots doing some deleting and I find that right at the beginning of my snow finch shots there is a sequence of four, taken so close together that the bird hasn't budged, which appear to be shots 2 to 5 in a burst of five.

For reasons unknown there is no RAW file attached to the jpg, and more strangely the jpgs aren't the 1.4MB files of the Small option, but 5MB files of the large option. On the next photo, a few seconds later the camera has got over its fit and gone back to RAW + S1.

I went into the card out of the camera with some recovery software to see if the missing RAW files could be recovered. No chance.

They don't exist. Sod's Law that it had to happen with a snow finch and not a wheatear of which there were many.

Anyone else experienced anything like this?

(A slightly cropped and slightly adjusted copy of one of them below, taken as I leant against my car, attached for no good reason other than bragging )

 

[Roy C]

I use the jpgs when I'm viewing in photo viewer for selection, deleting and editing purposes.

Sorry, I cannot help you as I have never shot RAW + jpeg, hope you sort it out.
Out of Interest why do you not just shoot RAW and run the quick check tool in DPP or any other image editing software -this gives you a jpeg taken from the RAW anyway without the bother of shooting in RAW + jpeg.

 

[Barred Wobbler]

Sorry, I cannot help you as I have never shot RAW + jpeg, hope you sort it out.
Out of Interest why do you not just shoot RAW and run the quick check tool in DPP or any other image editing software -this gives you a jpeg taken from the RAW anyway without the bother of shooting in RAW + jpeg.

I use the jpeg as a rider image for clicking through photos in photoviewer, which eliminates the need to open up zoombrowser or DPP. I just click on the file I want to see, click through the hundreds I've taken on a day, delete the ones I don't like, then go back and zap the attendant RAW files.

I don't use DPP as a rule, I just open the RAW files in Elements for editing. The jpegs are more in the way of a thumbnail. I can open a file of photos with the view set in 'Medium Icons' and there are all of them arrayed with the visible jpeg next to its RAW. I see at a glance which one I want to go to without any faffing about.

When I first got my old 40D in 2009 I started off with jpegs, quickly moved on to RAW, but then when I opened a file I was confronted with an array of identical-looking RAW icons, which I had to click onto individually to see what the photo was. I immediately went into shooting RAW+jpeg so I could see what was going on.


If I'd not had my camera set to RAW+jpeg on this occasion I wonder if I'd even have noticed that it had dumped 4 out of a burst of 5 RAWs.

 

[Roy C]

I use the jpeg as a rider image for clicking through photos in photoviewer, which eliminates the need to open up zoombrowser or DPP. I just click on the file I want to see, click through the hundreds I've taken on a day, delete the ones I don't like, then go back and zap the attendant RAW files.

I don't use DPP as a rule, I just open the RAW files in Elements for editing. The jpegs are more in the way of a thumbnail. I can open a file of photos with the view set in 'Medium Icons' and there are all of them arrayed with the visible jpeg next to its RAW. I see at a glance which one I want to go to without any faffing about.

When I first got my old 40D in 2009 I started off with jpegs, quickly moved on to RAW, but then when I opened a file I was confronted with an array of identical-looking RAW icons, which I had to click onto individually to see what the photo was. I immediately went into shooting RAW+jpeg so I could see what was going on.


If I'd not had my camera set to RAW+jpeg on this occasion I wonder if I'd even have noticed that it had dumped 4 out of a burst of 5 RAWs.

Yes I realize what you are doing but there are loads of image viewers out there that will show a RAW file as a jpeg without having to convert the RAW file, you do not have to open each image separately, They work the same as the photoviewer where you can scroll through the whole batch, deleting or rating individual files as you want . I only quoted The Canon freebies because I know you would have them but there are other free image viewers that will do this - this would do away with the need to shoot RAW + Jpeg (which can only slow thing down!).
Microsoft used to update their photoviewer to let you see the RAWs as jpegs without converting them but they stop doing it years ago that is why you are seeing RAW icons with the out dated Windows photoviewer.